Improvement in cotton-bale ties



UNITI-:D STATES PATENT OriucleO ISAAC H. MERRIT'I, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-BALE TIES.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ISAAC H. MERRITT, ofCincinnati,in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have made newand useful Improvements in Cotton -Bale Ties; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the nature,construction, and operation of the same, sufficient to enable oneskilled in the art to which it appertains to construct and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l isa vertical view of my improve- Inent with the lapping ends of the tieready for the insertion ofthe key. Fig. 2 is a similar view when thestrain upon each of the lapping ends has caused them to draw upon thelugs of the key.

Similar letters in the gures refer to like parts.

rlhe objectofthis improvement is a tie which will hold a repressed baleot' cotton, in which the cotton is repressed, for the purpose of economyin shipment, to a mass of about one-half of its former cubic dimensions,and a large gain secured from the ability to load a car to its capacity,or to store away in any conveyance of a given capacity a larger amountof the article.

The saving in shipment is itselfa handsome prot, and the many ties nowbefore the public have failed when applied to resist the im- -Inenseexpansive force of cotton thus compressed, `while some, from theircomplication or difficulty of attachment, are objected to on othergrounds.

My improvement consists of a metallic strap, A, pierced with holes B Bof exactly even distances apart on each of the ends, so that they may bebrought to register exactly with each other, (see Fig. 1,) and a key, C,the lugs c c of which are introduced into the holes B B of therespective strap ends. When placed therein, on the expansion of thebale, the end containing the holes B' draws upon the notch of the lugo', while the end of the strap containing the holes B draws upon thenotch ot the lug` c, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the key serves to keepthe two ends of the band together, each lug holding from one point onthe respective ends of the band.

I am aware that the ends of the band have been held together by means ofa key inserted into corresponding' notches in the ends, and also that bywith two lugs has been inserted into two sets of notches; but this hasbeen a Inere duplication of the single device, whereas in my inventionthe-lugs have each their special duty to retain one end of the band, andthey are removed to a distance from each other, so as not to tend torupture the band at the same point.

The distances between the slots in the band are always equal, so thatthe ends may be lapped over each other and keyed at such place as may beconvenient.

The notched shape of the lugat the place where it draws upon the bandinsures its retention by the latter when the bale has expanded,and thetaper end of the lug assists it to enter the slot.

Having described myinven tion, what Iclaim therein as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the band A and key C, when so arranged that theseparated lugs ot the single key shall detain the respective ends of theband, substantially as described and represented.

To the above specification of my improvement in cotton-bale ties I havesigned my hand this 20th of January, 1866.

ISAAC H. MERRITT.

Witnesses:

EDWARD H. KNIGHT, ALEXR. H. O. KLAUCKE.

a duplication ofthe device a key

